New Kansai International Airport Co Ltd has published its shortlist of bidders for the single concession contract for the operation of the company’s two airports in Osaka.

 

New Kansai International Airport Co Ltd is the owner and operator of Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport (Itami). All bidders need to have experience of operating a commercial facility whose store floor area is no less than 10,000sq m and an airport where the passenger capacity currently in use is at least 15m a year.

The concession period will run for 44 years and this represents a major departure from previous practise in the country, with the government hoping to raise in excess of ¥2.trillion ($16bn) to meet the ¥1.2 trillion it is still owed for funding the new airport.

New KIAC management says the initial suitor investor screening process is now over, leaving 20 multi-national companies/investors still in the race.

The principal companies on the list published by New Kansai International Airport include the Macquarie Group (Australia); Singapore’s Changi Airports Group; Global Infrastructure Management (Gatwick owner); Ferrovial (Spain); VINCI (France); and several other companies, including several from Japan.

 

 

Both images: Kansai International Airport.

 

SENDAI AIRPORT ALSO OPEN TO BIDS
Some companies are also bidding for Sendai Airport in Northern Japan, which mostly handles domestic traffic, but also has scheduled routes to Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei; Honolulu; Bangkok (seasonal); and Guam.

International charter-only routes include service to Auckland, Honolulu, Hong Kong, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa; Hanoi and Zürich.

This airport was badly damaged by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the devastating tsunami that followed. The airport reopened to to limited commercial traffic on 13 April 2011.

The total lists of companies cleared in stage one to commence bidding for the two Osaka airports is as below, with each entity expected to form a consortium which will be further reviewed if it wins. These companies are: ORIX Corporation, Tokyo; Sumitomo Realty & Development Co., Ltd, Tokyo; Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd, Osaka; Tokyu Corp, Tokyo; Nippon Life Insurance Company, Osaka; Marubeni Corp, Tokyo; Mitsui Fudosan Co., Tokyo; Mitsubishi Corp, Tokyo; Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd; Tokyo; AMP Capital Investors Ltd, Sydney; Atlantia S.p.A. Rome; Changi Airports International Pte. Ltd, Singapore; Ferrovial Aeropuertos S.A.U., Madrid; Global Infrastructure Management, New York; GMR Infrastructure Ltd, Bangalore; IFM Investors Pty Ltd; Melbourne;  Macquarie Capital Group Ltd, Sydney; Manchester Airports Holdings Ltd; Public Sector Pension Investment Board, Montréal; AviAlliance, Essen; VINCI Airports, France.